Day 3 -- Friday in Lancaster County, PA

After a bagel and a coffee we headed for Hershey on the way to Lancaster county.

At the highway exit we noticed a nondescript building labeled "farmer's market", with a full parking lot.  The temptation of local produce lured us into the warehouse-style building for a brief stop.  It was quickly apparent the produce exchange was a local gem, and not a tourist trap.  Vendors purveyed homemade ice cream, cider, vegetables, crafts, and baked goods.  Amey checked out a small bakery while I examined the produce.  I found it impressive that high quality, locally grown broccoli, cauliflower, beets, cukes, peppers, tomatoes were offered alongside pumpkins, gourds, squash, and apples late into October.  Our short Maine growing season typically offers "windows of opportunity" for these products, and seldom can you find all of these at once in abundance.

Meanwhile, Amey tasted breads and desserts made by a husband and wife team.  Sandi's bakery specialized in artisan breads, sweet rolls, and even granola bars.  One popular local item is a sweet roll with sticky pecan topping.  YUM!

I purchased a cabbage the size of a basketball, a couple of cukes, two giant heads of broccoli, a head of lettuce, 5 good sized tomatoes, and a couple of peppers for about 7 bucks and joined Amey at the bakery booth.

We learned that the proprietors mill their own flour from wheat berries on a millstone, on premises.  Every product is made with 100% fresh-milled, whole wheat flour.  I was astounded, because the products I had tasted were soft and moist, and didn't have that slightly bitter taste that whole wheat sometime leaves in your mouth.  The reason of course, is because the flour is milled on site.  Whole-wheat flour is volatile, with a short shelf life.  The fresher, the better.

Unable to resist, we purchased a sesame-seeded loaf, a sun-dried tomato mini-loaf, and a pair of homemade granola bars.  (Grab-a-nola.)

Back to the road.  A few minutes down a beautiful Dutch-country road, and we arrived at Hershey.  The water tower and smokestacks in the distance conjured up Charlie and the chocolate factory in my mind, while the theme park reeked of theme park.  The Hershey's chocolate world ride was fun, and overtly aimed at pushing chocolate on the rider.  A barrage of jingles, happy music, incredible chocolate smells, singing cows, and colorful sights all screamed "CHOCOLATE IS DELICIOUS.  EAT CHOCOLATE."  After disembarking, we were directed into a maze of chocolate paraphernalia.  Chocolate t-shirts, mugs, bags, glasses, hats, clocks, shoes, socks, baby outfits, paintings, and other hardgoods were displayed along with every Hershey product in existence today.  Of note were 16 oz peanut butter cups the size of plates and a 5 pound Hershey bar.  We opted for a few candy bars and a black-cat themed wooden box.

With the day still young, we headed further down the highway into Lancaster county.  This corner of the world is full of dairy farms and operations that support dairy farms.  The iconic image of barn, farmhouse, and pair of silos is literally found every place you look here.  The crops of choice are corn and hay for the cows, of course.

Wandering down historic route 341 in the towns of Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand, we found some authentic Amish and Mennonite craft markets among the tourist joints.  I've concluded that the Amish quite often make the goods found, but more often Mennonites sell them.  It is interesting to interlope into the lives of people who forgo many of the modern conveniences we count on. The conformity of the place is also appealing.  I enjoyed observing the three basic buggy types: full-size, mid-size, and subcompact.  The full size is large and boxy, and typically use for major cargo transport or to house tour groups.  Most of the locals utilize mid-size buggies, which are pulled by a single horse.  They appear to seat two comfortably, but I've seen entire families in them.  Think a family of 6 in a VW Bug, and you won't be far off.  Imagine that in the heat of August while wearing black wool.  I admire the fortitude of this group.

At one craft market, I heard a horse whinny behind the building, and investigated.  I saw a girl, who looked to be about ten, tie off the horse and head into the market.  I was amazed by her sense of purpose as she went about her business.  She was driving a mini-version of the buggy, which was a little bigger than a racing sulky, and pulled by a miniature horse.  Typically individuals travelling the roads utilize the push-bike, a scooter-like contraption.

We purchased some exceptional local cheese to go with our bread obtained earlier in the day, and headed for a local restaurant for a family style meal.  Seated with a couple from New Jersey, we shared conversation about Maine, Jersey, and weddings.  Our dinner-mates were planning a spring wedding, and we discussed the daunting task planning a wedding can be.

The food at the restaurant was outstanding.  I ate chow-chow (think three bean salad + various vegetables), buttered rolls, raisin bread with icing, cole slaw, roast beef (the best I've ever eaten), fried chicken (also the best I've ever tasted), sausage (best ever, see a theme?), chicken pot pie with dumplings, mashed potato, egg noodles with browned butter, dried toasted corn (which is soaked and cooked), shoo-fly pie, and ice cream. Everything on the menu is made from scratch, and brought to the table fresh and delicious.  I've never eaten so much in my life, and it was incredibly good.  Somebody explained that the restaurant hires local farm-cooks, who are skilled at cooking traditional local dishes for large crowds.  I highly recommend this family-style feast to anyone that doesn't mind sharing a table with strangers.

After the gargantuan meal we drove back to the hotel, and capped off the evening with some wine.

The day was a great balance of sightseeing, shopping, eating, and drinking.  Oh, the epicurean life!

~Mike